Monday, March 11, 2013

A senseless death-Was it road rage?-We Demand Answers!

It was a shooting in Bowling Green that stirred a lot of emotion from the community, and today KSP says they are nearing the end of their investigation, and those searching for answers may get them soon.
In the meantime friends, family, and supporters attended the funeral of Brandon Bradshaw, the man who died in the officer involved shooting on the Bypass, last week.
Those who said while Brandon's life was cut short at the young age of 27 his memory will last forever.
As a former member of the National Guard who served in Iraq, members of the Patriot Guard rode to honor a fallen hero.

"He was a man of small miracles, and he knew the power of a smile."

"It's something that tugs at your heart when you get on one of those bikes with a flag behind you and a deceased veteran following you," says Joe Hare, a member of the Patriot Guard.
Many attended the funeral to remember the man who mentored their sons and daughters as a Youth Theatre Educator at SkyPac.
"Brandon was one of those people when he walked in you knew something great had entered the room. He was always smiling, and just gave you that big, warm, teddy bear feeling," says Cara Gray, a friend of the Bradshaw family.
And one says goodbye to a best friend.
"He was my best friend so we did everything together. All kinds of adventures. We were in a band together and practically lived together. It's hard to imagine doing anything without him," says Randall Erskine.
And those who knew Bradshaw are trying to move past the tragic moment on the Bypass.
"I'm sad but I'm also happy that he no longer has to walk this earth, he's up in heaven and I feel comfort in that," says Gray.
"He was a man of small miracles, and he knew the power of a smile," says Erskine.
Brandon died the morning of Saturday March 2nd at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.
KSP is waiting on the results from the final medical records and they hope to meet with Warren County Commonwealth Attorney, Chris Cohron by the end of next week.
The prosecution of the case will be decided by Cohron.

What exactly happened last week that left one man, a patron of the arts, dead and another man, a Warren County Sheriff’s Office court security officer, holding the smoking gun?

Was it road rage? Was it a verbal argument that escalated and got terribly out of hand? Was it self-defense?

Public deserves answers about recent shooting

The public has waited eight days now for answers about the shooting death of Brandon Bradshaw, and it is past time that law enforcement released some of those details.

All that the public knows to date is that on Feb. 26, Bradshaw was shot once in the ear and neck and twice in the arm by off-duty Warren County Sheriff’s Office court security Officer Thomas Brown. The two men appeared to be in a heated argument, and Brown identified himself as a law enforcement officer. Bradshaw died from his wounds Saturday.

Brown’s attorney said his client fired in self-defense. The police won’t say one way or the other. All of the information we have is cobbled together from witnesses, Bradshaw’s family and friends and, in very small part, from Kentucky State Police, the agency investigating the shooting.

Were both men armed? Did police find evidence that both men fired at each other? Did the two men know each other before Tuesday’s tragic events? Did either or both men threaten the other prior to shots being fired?

Kentucky State Police know the answers to at least some of these questions but have refused to release them. Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Cohron was at the scene, and even if he doesn’t know all of the answers, one can reasonably believe that Cohron knows some of them. But he’s not talking either.

Last week, KSP Post 3 spokesman Jonathan Biven said police “respectfully” decline to make a statement to “protect the integrity of the investigation.” OK, but what about the integrity of KSP shooting investigations?

Biven’s words sound reasonable until one considers how quickly KSP releases information when one of their own is involved in a shooting. That’s when his explanation rings hollow.

At 9:58 p.m. Aug. 17, KSP Post 12 Trooper John B. Hawkins shot and killed a man during a domestic call on Galbraith Road in Franklin County. The following morning, KSP released the details of the incident.

At 4:30 p.m. Oct. 20, KSP Post 1 Trooper Jody Cash shot and killed a man who approached Cash raising his handgun at the lawman. Within hours, KSP released pertinent details in that shooting. Four days after the shooting, KSP released the name of the trooper involved.

At 4:30 p.m. May 23, two state troopers from Post 14 in Ashland fired on a man just outside of the city limits of Olive Hill. The subsequent press release from KSP in Ashland shows that police released information in that investigation within hours of the incident.

There are many more examples on the state police website.

Why does KSP release information so quickly when it involves one of their own?

The answer is simple – transparency. Someone high ranking at KSP knows this is important or the agency wouldn’t so quickly release that information on its own shooting investigations.

Get out in front of a tragedy, and explain what you know to be the truth. The public may not like what you have to say. But at least it won’t look like you have something to hide either for yourselves or another agency.

We no longer live in an age when only a select few individuals are privy to information. Within seconds, passersby were releasing their own version of last Tuesday’s events on social media outlets.

That’s why the official version is now more than ever so important to get out in a reasonable amount of time.

Explanations go a long way with the public.

It’s certainly understandable that KSP can’t tell the public everything all at once. But saying nothing speaks volumes in all the wrong ways.

And, if state police are going to come up with an excuse for keeping the taxpaying public in the dark, it needs to be a little more believable, and it shouldn’t contradict how they handle similar situations with their own officers.

In this case, the public wants answers so badly that a quickly organized justice march drew hundreds of people to downtown Bowling Green on Saturday in snow and freezing temperatures.

We don’t know much about this case, but a man is dead, and we’d all like to know why.

The longer KSP and Cohron stay quiet, the longer it gives people to spin, and in this day and age, publish their own theories – right or wrong – and the more it arouses public suspicion toward police in all agencies.

This isn’t good for Cohron, who serves at the will of the voting public. It isn’t good for the family and friends of Brandon Bradshaw. It isn’t good for Thomas Brown, and it isn’t good public relations between local law enforcement and the taxpayers who employ them.

I encourage everyone to write a heart felt letter.. or even an angry letter.. To GMA. To fox. To Kelly and Michael. TO ANYONE that can take this above beyond. If we put the spotlight on the KSP maybe they'll get their you know whats in gear !!!!